


You're You & I'm Me

by marshmallownose



Category: House of Anubis
Genre: Gen, I might make a friendship series but I never finish what I start so probably not, Kid Fic, Patricia def kicked bullies' asses if the even looked at Joy (or Fabian), tell me this isn't canon I dare you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:02:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23564983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marshmallownose/pseuds/marshmallownose
Summary: Fabian met Patricia when he was eleven years old. The rest is history.
Relationships: Fabian Rutter & Patricia Williamson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	You're You & I'm Me

**Author's Note:**

> This friendship is criminally underrated. I'm here to rectify it. Also note that I started this one shot in 2015. I found it the other day and just added an end. So there are probably mistakes bc I'm too lazy to edit it.  
> Also so tragic that Fabian has no personality. Anyway, carry on. Enjoy xx

Fabian Rutter was eleven years old when he met Patricia Williamson.

It was the start of his second week at Amun Academic Boarding School. He was getting a feel for the establishment per his parents’ request to seeing if he liked it enough to eventually take up residence there once he reached his secondary education. For the time being, however, he was just a day student. A very _quiet_ day student _—_ quiet as in no friends. It was rather pathetic; even Fabian could admit it.

There was a plethora of reasons as to why Fabian didn’t reach out to his peers for company: he stuttered when he talked, he didn’t share the same interests, he was shy, he was nervous around other kids—the list went on and on.

The main reason was that people teased him. He was apparently very easy to pick on. For instance, Jerome Clarke and Alfie Lewis, two boys in his year who he really didn’t like all that much, had started calling him “Stutter Rutter” on his first day, and it had stuck. Fabian really didn’t like the name, but he wouldn’t dare speak up against it; it would involve him stuttering even more, and that would just make it worse.

During the lunch hour, students of all ages were allowed to eat outside should they so choose; Fabian did so choose. It was still September, so it was warm enough to be comfortable. Plus, he could hide out from the other students.

He took his brown paper bag out to the far edge of the grounds, still within sight of the school, and took his seat under a big tree. It was an oak tree, for sure; he’d read a book about how to identify trees from their leaves. No one ever seemed to come over here. Or maybe they did, and Fabian was just never there the same time anyone else was. It didn’t really matter. The point was, it was secluded enough that Fabian didn’t have to worry about his peace being disturbed.

At least, until that day.

“Why do you always sit here by yourself?” asked a voice from somewhere.

Fabian’s head shot up from where he’d had it bent over his brand new book, _The Solar System is Your Friend,_ and looked around for the owner of the voice. There was none.

Maybe he was going crazy from the isolation. He’d read about that somewhere...

“Up here, doofus.” There it was again! Wait, _up?_

Suddenly, there was a face dangling in front of him. Wait! Not just a face! A whole girl. She was upside down, hanging from a low tree branch by her knees. Her expression was pinched in a curious frown as she took him in.

Fabian screamed.

The girl covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, still hanging upside down. _“Hey!_ Stop that! Gosh, knock it off!” she yelped over his high pitched shrieking. “What’s the matter with you? Are you trying to blow my eardrums out, or something?” With that, she hoisted herself back up before hopping to the ground.

Now that she was right side up, Fabian could properly take her in. She was pale with scrapes and cuts all over her skin, brown hair tied up high in a ponytail, and sharp blue eyes. He didn’t know her name, but recognized her immediately as the girl that hung around Jerome, Alfie, and the other brunette girl. Out of all of them, she was definitely the scariest.

Fabian wanted to scream again, but the girl held up a hand to stop him before he did. “What’s with you and the screaming?” she demanded, eyeing him. “Are you afraid of people? Is that why you eat lunch alone?”

Fabian shut his mouth and shook his head, because no, he wasn’t afraid of people; he was afraid of _her._

The girl nodded after a moment. “Okay. I’m Patricia Williamson.” She stuck out her hand toward him expectantly. He didn’t take it. She didn’t seem to care. “You’re Fabian Rutter, right? The one everyone gives hell over not being able to speak normally?”

Fabian hesitated, but nodded, clutching his book to his chest, pressing his back firmly against the tree trunk like a cornered animal.

“That’s stupid,” she said, sitting down in front of him so they were on the same level. “Every time I hear you talk in class, you sound fine. Not that I’m really paying much attention, but you know.”

He didn’t really know; Fabian always paid attention.

“Anyway,” Patricia continued. “You haven’t answered my question: Why do you always eat lunch alone? You keep sitting under my tree all by yourself, and it’s kind of pathetic. I feel bad for you.”

Fabian didn’t really want to talk to her, because, frankly, he was afraid she might turn on him. He’d seen her once start and finish a fight with a boy two years older than her because he’d manhandled her other brunette friend’s stuffed rabbit. He’d had to go the infirmary. He’d at first thought that was kind of admirable, but she was also a friend of his main tormentors which made her untrustworthy.

“If you’re h-here to make fun o-of me, I don’t want to h-hear it,” he managed to get out, sounding a lot braver in his head.

Patricia tilted her head. “Why would I be here to make fun of you? You haven’t done anything to me or anyone I know.”

“Well, n-neither did that kid last week, b-but you still beat him up!” He couldn’t hold back the exclamation, and he flinched when Patricia’s face darkened at the memory.

“That was different—he did something to Joy. That’s _personal.”_

So the other brunette was Joy. Noted.

Patrica continued, “I thought you could use some company is all. I usually climb this tree during lunch, and you took to sitting under it, but you never had a friend.”

“I never s-saw you, though.”

Patricia shrugged. “You never looked up.”

Despite his wariness, Fabian laughed. “That’s fair.”

Patricia stood up again, not bothering to dust herself off, and extended a hand to Fabian. “Come on. Let’s go hang out with some other people. You need friends.”

Fabian stared up at her with wide eyes and cautiously took her hand, stumbling as she yanked him to his feet with surprising force. “You’re not going to try and m-make me be friends with Jerome and Alfie, are you?” he asked timidly, the thought making him tense up with aprehension.

She snorted out laughter, her eyes crinkling up as she did so. “No way!” Patricia exclaimed. “I’m not an idiot. _Nah,_ you can hang out with me and Joy. She hates Jerome too. I think you’ll both get along. Plus, I think she might fancy you.” She paused, looking him up and down as he spluttered in shock. “Dunno why though. No offense. If I was going to fancy someone”—here she stopped, and lifted her head toward the sky to shout, _“WHICH I WOULDN’T!”_ — “it would be someone who liked the same things I liked. And no offense, but I don’t really like space." She pointed at his book. "Too empty.”

Fabian continued to stare at her, unsure whether he was in awe of her or terrified. Maybe both. He opened his mouth to say as much, when Patricia thoughtfully cut him off. “Y’know,” she said with a small frown. “Alfie’s okay when he’s not around Jerome…and even Jerome’s not _so_ bad. He’s just…well, he’s _Jerome.”_  


“And you’re Patricia,” Fabian said stupidly, immediately wishing he hadn’t. But Patricia just grinned, and he could see for the first time that she was missing one of her bottom teeth.  


“Yeah,” she said, tugging him along toward the school. “And you’re Fabian.”


End file.
